Abstract
The interspecific interactions between the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis and two harmful algal blooms (HAB) species were investigated experimentally by single culture method. B. plicatilis population and the growth of the two algae were compared at different algal cell densities. The results demonstrated that the B. plicatilis obtained sufficient nutrition from Prorocentrum donghaiense to support net population increase. With exposure to 2.5×104 cells mL−1 of P. donghaiense, the number of B. plicatilis increased faster than it did when exposed to other four algal densities (5, 10, 15 and 20 ×104 cells mL−1), and the increase rate of B. plicatilis population (r) at this algal density was 0.104 ± 0.015 rd−1. Cell densities of P. donghaiense decreased due to the grazing of B. plicatilis. In contrast, Heterosigma akashiwo had an adverse effect on B. plicatilis population and its growth was largely unaffected by rotifer grazing. In this case, B. plicatilis population decreased and H. akashiwo grew at a rate similar to that of the control.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams, J. A., Seaton, D. D., and Buchanan, J. B., 1968. Biological observations associated with the toxic phytoplankton bloom of the East Coast. Nature, 220: 24–25.
Boyer, G. L., Sullivan, J. J., and Andersen, R. J., 1985. The assimilation of PSP toxins by the copepod Tigriopus californicus from dietary Protogonyaulax catenella. In: Toxic Dinoflagellates. White, Baden, D. M., and Gentien A. W., eds., Elsevier, New York, 407–412.
Colin, S. P., and Dam, H. G., 2003. Effects of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense on the copepod Acartia hudsonica:a test of the mechanisms that reduce ingestion rate. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 248: 55–65.
Delgado, M., and Alcaraz, M., 1999. Interactions between red tide microalgae and herbivorous zooplankton: the noxious effects of Gyrodinium corsicum (Dinophyceae) on Acartia grani (Copepoda:Calanoida). J. Plankton Res., 21: 2361–2371.
Dutz, J., 1998. Repression of fecundity in the neritic copepod Acartia clausi exposed to the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium lusitanicum:relationship between feeding and egg production. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 175: 97–107.
Frost, B. W., 1972. Effects of size and concentration of food particles on the feeding behavior of the marine planktonic copepod Calanus Pacificus. Limnol. Oceanogr., 17: 805–815.
Guillard, R. R. L., 1975. Culture of phytoplankton for feeding marine invertebrates. In: Culture of Marine Animals. Smith, W. L., and Chanley, M. H., eds., Plenum Press, New York, 26–60.
Guo, Y. J., 1994. Studies on Heterosigma akashiwo (Hada) in the Dalian Bight, Liaoning, China. Chin. J. Oceanogr. Limnol., 25(2): 211–215.
Hansen, P. J., 1989. The red tide dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense: effects on behavior and growth of a tintinnid ciliate. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 53: 105–116.
Honjo, T., 1993. Overview on bloom dynamics and physiological ecology of Heterosigma akashiwo. In: Toxic Phytoplankton Bloom in the Sea. Smayda, T. J., and Shimizd, Y., eds., Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, 33–41.
Honjo, T., 1994. The biology and prediction of representative red tides associated with fish kills in Japan. Rev. Fish. Sci., 2: 225–253.
Huntley, M. E., Sykes, P., and Rohan, S., 1986. Chemically-mediated rejection of dinoflagellate prey by the copepods Calanus pacificus and Paracalanus parvus: mechanisms, occurrences, and significance. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 28: 105–120.
Ianora, A., Poulet, S. A., and Miralto, A., 1996. The diatom Thalassiosira rotula affects reproductive success in the copepod Acartia clausi. Mar. Biol., 125: 279–286.
Ives, J. D., 1987. Possible mechanisms underlying copepod grazing responses to levels of toxicity in red tide dinoflagellates. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol., 112: 131–145.
Kafuku, T., and Ikenoue, H., 1983. Modern methods of aquaculture in Japan. In: Developments of Aquaculture and Fisheries Science, 11. Kodansha Tokyo, Elsevier Amsterdam, 216pp.
Kamiyama, T., and Arima S., 1997. Lethal effect of the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa circularisquama upon the tintinnid ciliates Favella taraikaensis. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 160: 27–33.
Kim, D., Sato, Y., Oda, T., Muramatsu, T., Matsuyama, Y. and Honjos, T., 2000. Specific toxic effect of dinoflagellate Heterocapsa circularisquama on the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis. Biosci. Biotech. Biochem., 64(12): 2719–2722.
Liu, S., and Wang, W. X., 2002. Feeding and reproductive responses of marine copepods in South China Sea to toxic and nontoxic phytoplankton. Mar. Biol., 140: 595–603.
Lubzens, E., 1987. Raising rotifers for use in aquaculture. Hydrobiologia, 147: 245–255.
McClatchie, S., 1988. Functional response of the euphausid Thysanoessa raschii grazing on small diatoms and toxic dinoflagellates. J. Mar. Res., 46: 631–646
Poulet, S. A., Laabir, M., and Ianora, A., 1995. Reproductive response of Calanus helgolandicus I. Abnormal embryonic and naupliar development. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 129: 85–95.
Qi, Y. Z., 2003. Harmful algal blooms in China Sea. Science Press, Beijing, China, 234–235.
Robineau, B., Gagne, J. A., and Fortier, L., 1991. Potential impact of a toxic dinoflagellate (Alexandrium excavatum) bloom on survival of fish and crustacean larvae. Mar. Biol., 108: 293–301.
Sarma, S. S. S., and Nandini. S., 2001. Life table demography and population growth of Brachionus variabilis Hempel, 1896 in relation to Chlorella vulgaris densities. Hydrobiologia, 446/447: 75–83.
Starr, M., Runge, J. A., and Therriault, J. C., 1999. Effects of diatom diets on the reproduction of the planktonic copepod Calanus finmarchicus. Sarsia, 84: 379–389.
Tester, P. A., and Hansen, P. J., 1998. Interactions between toxic marine phytoplankton and metazoan and protistan grazers. In: Physiological Ecology of Harmful Algal Blooms. Anderson, D. M., et al., eds., NATO ASI Series, Vol. G 41. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 453–474.
Turner, J. T., and Tester, P. A., 1997. Toxic marine phytoplankton, zooplankton grazers, and pelagic food webs. Limnol. Oceanogr., 42: 1203–1204.
Uye, S., 1996. Induction of reproductive failure in the planktonic copepod Calanus pacificus by diatoms. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 133: 89–97.
Uye, S., and Takamatsu, K., 1990. Feeding interactions between planktonic copepods and red tide flagellates from Japanese coastal waters. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 59: 97–107.
Wang, L. P., Yan, T., and Tan, Z. J., 2003. Effects of Alexandrium tamarense and Prorocentrum donghaiense on rotifer Brachionus plicatilis population. Chin. J. Appl. Ecol., 14(7): 1151–1155.
Wang, Y., Yu, Z. M., and Song, X. X., 2006. Interactions between the bloom-forming dinoflagellates Prorocentrum donghaiense and Alexandrium tamarense in laboratory cultures. J. Sea. Res., 56: 17–26.
Watras, C. J., Garcon, V. C., and Olson, R. J., 1985. The effect of zooplankton grazing on estuarine blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Gonyaulax tamarensis. J. Plankton Res., 6: 891–908.
Yan, T., Zhou, M. J., and Fu, M., 2003. The preliminary study on toxicity of Heterosigm aakashiwo and the toxicity source. Ocean. Limnol. Sin., 34(1): 50–55.
Yan, T., Zhou, M. J., and Qian, P. Y., 2002. Growth of fish-killing red tide species Raphidophyte Heterosigma akashiwo. Chin. J. Oceanogr. Limnol., 33(2): 209–214.
Yang, C. Z., Albright L. J., and Yousif, A. N., 1995. Oxygen-radical-mediated effects of the toxic phytoplankton Heterosigma akashiwo on juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Dis. Aquat. Org., 23: 101–108.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Xie, Z., Xiao, H., Tang, X. et al. Experimental study on the interspecific interactions between the two bloom-forming algal species and the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis . J. Ocean Univ. China 8, 203–208 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-009-0203-9
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-009-0203-9